New AU Chair Vows to Discharge Duty with Passion

The Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) have elected H.E Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros, as the new Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2023.

Assoumani took over the rotating chairperson from Senegal’s President Macky Sall at the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

President Sall thanked African Leaders for their support during the tenure which he said, was marked by the prevailing crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sall highlighted some of the achievements under his chairmanship of the Union notably, the economic empowerment of women and youths, the enhancement of democracy, and good governance, among other development programs under Agenda 2063.

“Serving our continent has been a privilege and a great pride because I believe in a united Africa, an Africa standing up, an Africa at work, an Africa in peace and confident in its future,” underlined President Sall.

This, he said, has made him more determined and even more motivated to be “at the front of the fight for Africa, everywhere, for everything and all the time because it is the responsibility conferred on us by the heritage of pan-Africanism.”

In his acceptance speech, President Assoumani appreciated the trust invested in him to lead the destiny of the AU, amd the work his predecessor President Sall did for the last twelve months.

The Comoros president said it would not be succeeding President won’t be easy.

“But I will do my best to continue his work and, among other things, by favoring as he has always been able to do, dialogue, listening and gathering, essential conditions to make this mandate, that of the success of our Continent,” the new Chair said.

President Assoumani also paid tribute to the founding fathers of the Organization.

“Six decades later, their luminous vision continues to inspire our living together and to illuminate our united march towards the ideal of African integration,” he said.

President Azali thanked the AU member states for “entrusting in Comoros for the first time in its history, the destinies of our continental Organization”.

“By allowing the Union of the Comoros to lead the African continent, our Organization has just proved to the world its conviction that all countries have the same rights and enjoy the same freedoms”.